Pastrami run to the New York World's Fair

[Amtrak25]

The #7 line's cars were called R33's, of which there were 40 single unit, double-ended cars, plus about 400 R36's, which were married pairs. There was no such thing as 5 car sets. The R33 was generally the 3rd car from the east on 11 car trains, not used if trains were 6, 8, or 10 cars, and never got retrofitted with air conditioning. The entire fleet was gone by 2003, and were reefed in the ocean.

 

[AFS1970]

My wife is from Queens, so I have been to the park a few times. But I was too young to go to the fair. My family went, and while there signed up to be notified when various appliances from teh "Kitchen of the Future" became available. So, in 1969 my parents expanded our house and built a new kitchen to house the (by today's standards) gigantic microwave, and the Corning ware stove. I was born a year later but grew up with that futuristic treat.

 

[PVD]

The #7 line's cars were called R33's, of which there were 40 single unit, double-ended cars, plus about 400 R36's, which were married pairs. There was no such thing as 5 car sets. The R33 was generally the 3rd car from the east on 11 car trains, not used if trains were 6, 8, or 10 cars, and never got retrofitted with air conditioning. The entire fleet was gone by 2003, and were reefed in the ocean.

Didn't mean to imply they were permanently assembled as the word set implies And thinking about it, the R-36 were pairs so 5 wouldn't be realistic. The single would not be in the middle. Guess my memories of the year I rode it home are getting muddled. Because of the time of day mine were always 11.

 

[Amtrak25]

I even remember seeing 5 singles of R33's followed by 6 R36's headed east. The R33's were also needed to pilot consists to Coney Island shops, which was every night around 8pm, since they had trip cocks on each side for the signals. IRT and BMT/IND had them on opposite sides.

Today's R188 trains are 5 and 6 cars sets.

 

[PVD]

I only have a few trips on the 188s mostly to go to the Javits Center, and a couple of times one stop from Main St to CitiField.

 

[Rex Block]

What a great report, and great thread. I'm reliving my trip to the NY World's Fair circa 1964 as a five-year-old living in New Jersey. I don't remember the train ride over, but I do recall the iconic structures erected for the fair (somehow the Unisphere always seems smaller than I remember it).

And of course the monorail.

I heard those things are awfully loud.
It glides as softly as a cloud.

Thanks for the report.

 

[PVD]

The Fair always brings back great memories, it is one of the first "big things" in life I was old enough to remember. Glad Marc Rider brought it up. Funny, I remember almost nothing about Expo 67 in Montreal, and that was a bit later. Only thing that sticks in my head - the US had a geodesic dome, and in it was a 360 degree sweeping movie all about the US and at one point a herd of cattle were going across the screen All of a sudden the sound stopped and my mom was still yelling "moo" at the screen. The whole crowd was laughing. Don't remember much else, but I'll never forget that!

 

[Lonnie]

......
I got off the train at Times Square and headed down 7th Avenue to my destination, Ben's Deli. This is the fourth New York deli in New York I've sampled (previously, the 2nd Ave. Deli, Liebman's Deli in Riverdale the Bronx, and Katz's in the Lower East Side). Ben's has six locations, including one in Boca Raton, Florida. It's certified kosher, but under the rabbis of the Conservative movement of Judaism, which is not as strict as the orthodox. However, the differences don't affect the nature or quality of the food being served. Given that I belong to a synagogue that's affiliated with Conservative Judaism, I appreciated being able to drop some money supporting a business that supports my brand of religion. The food was pretty good, too.

View attachment 27368

It's located on 38th St., just west of 7th Avenue. Founded in 1972, it has a nice classic deli vibe.

View attachment 27369

And here's the sandwich. All the pickles and cole slaw you want. The pastrami was good, but not the best I've head; on the other hand, the sandwich cost $15.50, as opposed to the $20+ pastrami sandwiches being sold in the other places. I have to say the best deal is still Loeb's in Washington, DC, where the straight pastrami sandwich is still right around $10. But, as I said, this was still pretty good....

I still have to do Katz's! Back in the late 90s, boxing writer and sports historian Bert Randolph Sugar took me to the Carnegie Deli to have a couple of the biggest pastrami sandwiches my little upstate eyes had ever seen. (Years later he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY, near where I lived.) The bill came to over $60 and he didn't know they only took cash. Even pointing to his picture on the wall didn't convince them he'd pay later. So he had to borrow $20 from me. Don't you know, he's gone on to the great boxing ring in the sky without ever having made good. I guess the Carnegie Deli folded, too. Serves 'em right.

 

[Dakota 400]

Not the test container, the test Pieta......

Thank you. I misinterpreted what I read. That does make more sense.

 

[NorthShore]

Thank you. I misinterpreted what I read. That does make more sense.

If it's any consolation, I read it that way too.

 

[PVD]

I guess I should have made it clearer. Thinking about it though, I did have a chuckle trying to envision folks stopping to pray in front of a big wooden crate.

 

[MARC Rider]

I found a couple of books to buy at the strand, and then I was out, and it was time to head back to the station. I walked up to Union Square and caught the L train going west to 8th Ave. Normally, I would have just ridden to 8th Ave and gotten on the A/C/E for the short ride to 34th St. Alas, I had found out that morning that the 34th St. 8th Ave subway stop was closed. Thus, I was going to have to ride to 6th Ave, and walk the passageway to the 7th Ave. (1/2/3) trains. This I did, which involved a long walk through a dank corridor from 6th to 7th Ave. I wasn't the only one doing this, so at least it wasn't creepy or anything, but it was a soul-sucking walk underground. But, no problem, I caught a local and was soon back at 34th St. in the old Penn Station. I took a quick run through the old Amtrak level just to see how it was doing.



Back in the day, there was the old Solari Board (or the ore recent big electronic display) and crowds of passengers waiting for their trains. Now it's a lot quieter, but still not totally empty.

I didn't want to deal with the construction down in the LIRR level, so I went up to the street, crossed 8th Ave and entered Moynihan from the outside. Up the escalator to the lounges, and I was set to wait for my 5 PM Acela.



It's certainly getting busier than it was last year, and now the cattle lines are forming.



They're starting to showcase the new Acela trains. Hope they'll enter service soon.



This is NOT what I want to see on the departure board. I was taking 2255. In the end, we left New York about 20 minutes behind schedule.

Finally, the announce our track. And even better, they tell us in the lounge before they announce it to the general public, so we lounge lizards can get to the front of the cattle line at the gate. Not that it really matters when you're taking the Acela, as the seats are all reserved, so you don't have to rush to get a good seat.


While we wait in line, a little music for our listening pleasure.

Finally, we board, and find our seats.



Well, look at that, back to the full-sized drink pours in real glasses. And the little snack mix is in a dish rather than an airline-style pack.



Here's the menu.


I ordered the Lobster and Crab Cake, which was sort of like a Tampa-style deviled crab. Plenty of food. I also had a Baileys and coffee with my cookie. Service was pretty prompt, and I finished the Baileys and coffee before I got to Philly, so I had enough time for my body to process enough of the alcohol to make my BAC legal by the time I got into my car in Baltimore.

The ride was pretty straightforward, though we lost another 5-10 minutes because of slow running in a few places. We did hit 135 in the usual spots in New Jersey, and we were mostly going 120+ in the other usual places, it's just that we were slowed down in a few places. It was hard to tell because it got dark pretty quickly.

Anyway, when we got into Baltimore, the pay station at the parking garage wouldn't take the ticket I was issued on entry. I was forced to pay at the gate, but, fortunately, the machine at the gate took my ticket, and accepted my credit card. I was out, and on the expressway, and it was clear sailing home.

Another good New York trip. I'm heading up to Boston on Wednesday. I was able to upgrade, so I'll be able to check out the breakfast offerings in Acela First. Eventually, I'll report on that, too.

 

[PVD]

Great report, glad it went well...

 

[trainman74]

I ordered the Lobster and Crab Cake, which was sort of like a Tampa-style deviled crab.

I'm originally from Tampa, and I had never heard of this being a local invention and specialty. (I just looked it up, so now I am informed.) I can only blame the fact that my father doesn't like seafood, so I hardly ever ate seafood growing up. I do know about Tampa-style Cuban sandwiches.